Henry Corbin – Anthology
It is because we are here in the presence of a man alone that I would like to invite all those who feel isolated to reflect upon this book, to listen to this message, if they are truly alone … This theology is not learned in books or by historical critique of writings, but in the night and in the suffering of the soul, in the sublime inner battle fought without compromise, or cowardice, or abdication. ~Henry Corbin, Cited CW 10, Para. 106)
Thus Mircea Eliade, who met Jung repeatedly in Ascona and in Mascia, confided to his diary what he had heard from Henry Corbin’s wife:
“Jung is a gourmet, and really knows his way around the kitchen. Since he knows that the dining at Mrs. Frobe-Kapteyn’s is not too good, he buys himself little snacks in secret and eats them alone in his room at night. But eventually word of this got out, and one of his admiring young ladies from Ascona, also in secret, sent him a roast chicken.”
From the same journal, the entry from 23 August 1950, obviously about a dinner together in an Ascona restaurant: “I eat with Jung, on his left, and we converse from twelve-thirty until three o’clock. He is a captivating old gentleman, utterly without conceit, who is as happy to talk as he is to listen. What could I write down here first of this long conversation? Perhaps his bitter reproaches of ‘official science’? In university circles he is not taken seriously.
‘Scholars have no curiosity,’ he says with Anatole France. Professors are satisfied with recapitulating what they learned in their youth and what does not cause any trouble; above all, their spiritual world is in balance. For all that, I sense that at the bottom of his heart Jung is a little troubled by this indifference. That is why he is so interested in a scholar, in any line of research, who takes him seriously, or quotes or comments on him.” ~Mircea Eliade, Jung: A Biography by Gerhard Wehr, Pages 273-274
Yet I must tell you how delighted I was by your [Henry Corbin] work. It was an extraordinary joy to me, and not only the rarest of experiences but even a unique experience, to be fully understood. ~Carl Jung, Letters Vol. II, Page 115.
The book came to me during the fever of an illness.
Letters of C. G. Jung: Volume I, 1906-1950 (Vol 1)
To Henry Corbin
Dear M. Corbin, 4 May 1953
A few days ago I received an offprint of your essay “La Sophie Eternelle.”
Unfortunately it is impossible for me to express all the thoughts and feelings I had upon reading your admirable presentation of your subject.
My French is so rusty that I cannot use it to formulate exactly what I want to say to you.
Yet I must tell you how delighted I was by your work. It was an extraordinary joy to me, and not only the rarest of experiences but even a unique experience, to be fully understood.
I am accustomed to living in a more or less complete intellectual vacuum, and my Answer to Job has done nothing to diminish it.
On the contrary, it has released an avalanche of prejudice, misunderstanding, and, above all, atrocious stupidity.
I have received hundreds of critical reviews, but not a single one that comes anywhere near yours in its lucid and penetrating understanding.
Your intuition is astounding: Schleiermacher really is one of my spiritual ancestors.
He even baptized my grandfather-born a Catholic-who by then was a doctor.
This grandfather became a great friend of the theologian de Wette,who had connections of his own with Schleiermacher.
The vast, esoteric, and individual spirit of Schleiermacher was a part of the intellectual atmosphere of my father’s family.
I never studied him, but unconsciously he was for me a spiritus rector.
You say you read my book as an “oratorio.”
The book “came to me” during the fever of an illness.
It was as if accompanied by the great music of a Bach or a Handel.
I don’t belong to the auditory type.
So I did not hear anything, I just had the feeling of listening to a great composition, or rather of being at a concert.
I should mention that de Wette had a tendency, as he said, to “mythize” the “marvellous” Bible stories (that is, the shocking ones).
Thus he preserved their symbolic value.
This is exactly what I have been forced to do not only for the Bible but also for the misdeeds in our dreams.
I don’t know how to express my gratitude but, once again,
I must tell you how much I appreciate your goodwill and your unique understanding.
My compliments to Madame Corbin.
The caviar is not forgotten.
With grateful regards,
Sincerely yours,
C.G. Jung ~Carl Jung, Letters Vol. II, Pages 115-116.
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